Jesus says, "Use it or lose it. And those who use it gain more." There are to be no bench warmer Christians. In the AL, NL, NFL, NBA, etc., anybody who expects to spend the whole game, every game, sitting on the bench, will eventually be cut from the team. In the business world, anybody who is not pushing business forward is dead weight. Just so, anybody who is not willing to use their God-given talents to advance the kingdom of God will be cut from the kingdom.

In the parable of the talents:
- The man who gave his goods to his servants and went on a journey is Jesus. "When he ascended up on high, he ... gave gifts unto men." (Ephesians 4:8.)
- The servants, therefore, are the people of God. Presumably, this includes all members of the Christian church.
- The servants who increased their master's money are those who are actively working to save souls and increase the kingdom of God.
- The servant who buried his talent represent the benchwarmers and babysitters. Rather than aiming to increase the kingdom of God, their focus is to do whatever they can to make sure it does not decrease. They are unwilling to take the risks necessary to reach out and save souls. Instead, they sit on the bench/pew and do nothing, or they focus solely on people already in the church.
- The lord coming back and settling accounts with his servants represents the second coming of Jesus. (See Revelation 22:12.)

The world is full of examples of those who took their God-given talents and advanced the kingdom of God. Here are just a few.
- Martin Luther used his academic ability to study the Latin Bible. (The Bible was not available in German, his native language.) Once he discovered the doctrine of righteousness by faith, God gave him the ability to teach and preach. His teaching talent expanded into writing tracts and songs, and eventually translating the Bible into German. Pretty much every Christian alive today has been touched in some way by the life of Martin Luther.
- Susanna Wesley was just a Anglican priest's wife. But she was also a faithful mother and servant of God. She did her work well in training her children. And her influence extended well beyond her family. She was well known in the community, and neighbors used to drop by her kitchen to here her conduct family worship. In a large part as a result of her faithfulness as a mother, her sons Charles and John became the founders of the Methodist movement which has touched tens (hundreds?) of millions of souls.
- John Wesley is another example. He was willing to take large risks to advance the kingdom of God. Once he came to an understanding of grace and the relationship between law and grace, he worked tirelessly to promote true religion. Unwilling to restrict himself to a university classroom or local parish, he viewed the entire world as being his parish. He often suffered physical abuse as he traveled and taught. His "method" resulted in the spread of the gospel to tens (hundreds?) of millions of souls.
- Missionaries such as William Carey and Hudson Taylor used everything God gave them to advance the kingdom of God.
- The Seventh-day Adventist church also has many examples of taking risks and spending all to increase God's kingdom: Joseph Bates, James and Ellen White, John Nevins Andrews, and David Gates are just a few.

Unfortunately, there are many who are unwilling to risk anything for God. They may come to church, but are unwilling to participate in any way. These are the benchwarmers. Or they may be quite willing to keep programs running for those who come to church, but are unwilling to approach anyone outside their existing circle of friends and acquaintances. These are the babysitters. It may also be that they are afraid that they might do something wrong. They are afraid they might offend someone or turn someone off, so they do nothing. When Jesus comes back, they will say, "See, I never did anything to offend anyone and turn them away from You." But Jesus will say, "You worthless servant! You never brought anyone to Me who didn't already know Me."

OK, maybe you are not a bold risk taker. But Jesus says, "You could have at least put My money in the bank so that I would get interest on it." In other words, make a "safe" investment if you must, but invest. What are the "safe" investments in the kingdom of God? You might not feel comfortable telling everyone at family gatherings that they need to get saved, but you could give out religious books to everyone as a gift. You might feel timid about approaching people and asking them to study the Bible, but you might be able to start a web site or blog sharing your testimony and the gospel. You might not feel comfortable knocking on all the doors of your neighbors and asking them to study the Bible with you, but you can go around the neighborhood looking for ways to help people; if you are kind and active, chances are somebody will eventually ask about your religion. You can also start a program at your church where members can practice "witnessing" to other members before they approach non-members. There are numerous "safe" ways to invest yourself in the kingdom of God and have interest to show Jesus when He returns.

Let's remember where these gift come from. They come from God! This is not something we do because we are good. We can do these things only because God is good and gives gifts.

In the end, the Lord let the servants who invested keep His goods. He also gave them authority in His kingdom corresponding to the competence they displayed in managing His money.

The point for me today: God has given me a number of gifts. He expects me to use them. I have already seen Him realize some returns on His investment in me. But the best is yet to come. By His grace, I will plan well and use His gifts to the maximum. When He returns, I want to say, "Here is what you gave me with increase." I want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."